A Comparison of AP by John Updike with The Kiss by Julia Alvarez

A Comparison of AP by John Updike with The Kiss by Julia Alvarez The essay compares the two stories, in a manner that shows that both authors have certain similarities. Both authors clearly show the influence of parenting, in inspiring their children into autonomous and independent thought.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on A Comparison of â€Å"AP† by John Updike with â€Å"The Kiss† by Julia Alvarez specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The authors emphasize on the role of fathers in the family and especially, in the building of character in their children. The authors also show that men are sexist and stubborn. â€Å"The story A P† from the Pigeon Feathers and other stories by John Updike The story involves a young boy of thirteen years of age and his family. They move from their previous home and begin a new life in a town called Firetown. The young man experiences trouble, in trying to fit into the new environment and the new life. After a fortnight in the new town, David spots interest in a book while in the process of rearranging the books. The book was H. G. Wells’s â€Å"The Outline of History.† He got interested in the manner in which the book portrays the life of Jesus from a secular point of view. The reason as to why the family moved to the farmhouse in Firetown is later shown. It was his mothers wish that the children grow up in a farmhouse, just as she did when she was growing up. Evidently, his father does not enjoy the environment and often drives off to town. This reason, amongst other reasons, cased David’s two parents to argue often. One day, when they were arguing about organic farming, David hid in the outhouse to avoid the shouting.Advertising Looking for research paper on comparative literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While in there, he experienced a feeling of regret for his existence. After that, he returned to th e main house to find them still arguing. He then goes to bed and says a prayer, so that Christ may touch his parents, so that they know that he exists. One Sunday, his mother recognizes that David is troubled. However, when confronted, he refuses to share his worries concerning morality with his mother. His father then comes in from church, claiming that the society in that place is intellectually poor. While David was in the catechetical class, he enquired about the events that take place between death and judgment day. This question made the other students and the reverend, behave as though they were uncomfortable. David felt as though he had asked a dumb question. As a result of his question, a debate ensued concerning the life after death. One of the members in the class concluded that heaven is the legacy of good acts done in one’s life. The reverend also confirms to David that there is no consciousness in death. This sparked off David’s curiosity, and he started to read the bible in search for answers. Despite his mother’s intervention, David refused to believe that there is no God.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on A Comparison of â€Å"AP† by John Updike with â€Å"The Kiss† by Julia Alvarez specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More His father did not encourage David to think about the events after death. Despite all the discouragement, he still found support from the church and at school. On his (David) fourteenth birthday, his parents buy him a gun. Sometime later on, David’s grandmother asked him to kill some pigeons. He derived pleasure from killing the birds to the point that his mother angrily reprimanded him and instructed him to bury the birds. Deep in thought while burying the birds, David began to appreciate the beauty of nature. At that moment, he realized that God had done well in creating everything and judging from his destructive n ature, God would not want to risk losing all his creation by allowing him to live forever. Analysis Upon analyzing the character of David in the book, it becomes evident that he has concerns about morality. These concerns, are due to the fact that David wanted to refuse the history behind how he understood Christianity. He is scared of what he reads from the book, â€Å"The Outline of History†. In the course of his research, David refused to read the entire definition of the soul, because it went ahead to talk about the opinions from the Romans and Greek. He associates his fear of death to have been caused by everything from the past. He points out that the past is composed of interactions with things and beings that we leave behind once we die.Advertising Looking for research paper on comparative literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is what David thought to be the cause for the fear. David refuses to take note of this association in order to dig deeper into the mystery. As a result, he finds out that, that would be a place in which there is no need to follow the laws of nature. This is seems to have been influenced by his father, who thinks that organic farming is old and should be replaced with modern methods. The author touches on matters concerning parenting. The author appears to relate these influences to gender. In their family, David’s mother does not go to church; however his father goes to church every Sunday. In the book, we also find that David dismissed his mother’s insight as influenced by her feminine nature. This is a character of David’s father. Through these two characters (David and his father), Updike shows the way that men are molded into sexists, who hold believe that they are always right. When David killed the pigeons, he realized that the main reason for man bei ng violent is the fear of death. Strangely, from this part, the author attempts to show that death greatly influences the way we appreciate the world around us. David has faith in God, because of the beauty of all that is around. The author does not attach a specific religious group to the faith that David has, but he simply associates the faith to the beauty in the creatures around. â€Å"The Kiss† from How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez (1991) The book talks of four daughters who made it a tradition to be together on their father’s birthday celebration. In the ceremony, Mr. Carlos would welcome them and then they would have cake. He would then give them hundreds of dollars in envelopes. By holding an event at her home, one daughter by the name Sofia broke the tradition. This had been after a period of time, when they had reconciled with each other. Sofia had run away from home, when she chose to get married. Now she had two children, and the las tborn was a boy named after her father. Her father always treated the grandson better than he did the granddaughter and Sofia did not like that. In her youth, Sofia was the sister who had a boyfriend after the next. She often went on vacation with them, since her father had strict rules about sleeping over at boyfriends’ homes. Her father later found the letters from her German boyfriend. He was annoyed and accused Sofia of spoiling his reputation, by sleeping around with men. In anger and pain, Sofia ran away from home and went to Germany, where she got married and invited the family over to their home in Michigan. Her mother attended but her father did not. She then took her first born baby to see him on his birthday, and they eventually began talking to each other. However, this party was meant to be their reconciliation. In the party, Carlos was blind folded and a lady would kiss him. He guessed the names on each turn, but did not even mention Sofia at any one time. This hurt her and when it was her turn, she made sure that he knew that it was her. After being given a big kiss by her, he removed the blindfold in anger and humiliation and declared that the game was over. Analysis The author in this book shows the issue of parenting in molding the character of the child. Sofia is a mature woman, who grew up in the modern society, which conflicts with the traditions in the Dominican Republic where her parents lived (Laurie, 1998). Sofia’s character in the book, is depicted as a free spirit, who is rebellious against traditions. She is full of love for her father, since she did all she could to make things right by her father’s wishes. She was the one who took the first step towards reconciliation, and organized a party where her sisters could come with their husbands (Laurie, 1998). The manner, in which Sofia chose to leave her father’s house in pursuit of her own beliefs, shows the need to be independent. The autonomy of thoughts and beliefs is further demonstrated by the way she publicly expresses her stand on sexuality, when she kisses her father. She totally breaks traditions and becomes a successful family woman, despite her father’s insults. The author also demonstrates the character of men as sexist, stubborn and authoritative. The father refused to see his grandchild on account of the past. He states that he will not set foot in his daughter’s house. He always gave the girls money in envelopes instead of checks. He also reacts in anger; over a game he suggested being part of. These show how the man can be stubborn. He is sexist because he complains that his reputation was ruined due to his daughter’s activities (Lostracco, 1998). He refuses to accompany his wife when she went to see Sofia’s firstborn child. He showed favor to his grandson than he did to his granddaughter. Conclusion The two authors have clearly displayed the issues concerning families and raising children. They have further displayed that men are sexist, and have a big ego. The women have been shown as determined but not forceful. They have been shown as largely obedient and persuasive. Recommendations The analysis of literary works from different authors, shows a lot about the experiences that they went through in their past. It is my recommendation that, in the process of understanding social science more clearly, comparison of different authors from the areas under research is done. This serves to give a deeper understanding of the society at that time. References lvarez, J. (2004). How the Garcà ­a Girls Lost Their Accents. New York: Bloomsburry Pub. Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Laurie, S. R. (1998). Casebook: A and P. Hampshire: Cengage Learning. Lostracco, G. J. (1998). Analyzing Short Stories. Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Toolan, M. J. (2009). Narrative Progression in the Short Story: A Corpus Stylistic Ap proach. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub. Updike, J. (1996). Pigeon feathers, and other stories. New York: Random House Publishing Group.

An Introduction to Vanitas Paintings

An Introduction to Vanitas Paintings A vanitas painting is a particular style of still life that was immensely popular in the Netherlands beginning in the 17th century. The style often includes with worldly objects such as books and wine and you will find quite a few skulls on the still life table. Its intent is to remind viewers of their own mortality and the futility of worldly pursuits. Vanitas Reminds Us of Vanities The word  vanitas  is Latin for vanity and that is the idea behind a vanitas painting. They were created to remind us that our vanity or material possessions and pursuits do not preclude us from death, which is inevitable. The phrase comes to us courtesy of a biblical passage in Ecclesiastes. In it, the Hebrew word hevel was incorrectly taken to mean vanity of vanities. But for this slight mistranslation, the term would rightfully be known as a vapor painting, signifying a transitory state. The Symbolism of Vanitas Paintings A vanitas painting, while possibly containing lovely objects, always included some reference to mans mortality. Most often, this is a human skull (with or without other bones), but items like  burning candles, soap bubbles and decaying flowers may be used for this purpose as well. Other objects are placed in the still life to symbolize the various types of worldly pursuits that tempt men. For example, secular knowledge like that found in the arts and sciences may be depicted by books, maps, or instruments. Wealth and power have symbols like  gold, jewelry, and precious trinkets while fabrics, goblets, and pipes might represent earthly pleasures. Beyond the skull to depict impermanence, a vanitas painting may include references to time, such as a watch or hourglass. It may use decaying flowers or rotting food for the purpose as well. In some paintings, the idea of the resurrection is included as well. Among these, you might find sprigs of ivy and laurel or ears of corn. To add to the symbolism, you will find vanitas paintings with the subjects placed in disarray compared to other, very tidy, still life art. This is designed to represent the chaos that materialism can add to a pious life. Vanitas is very similar to another type of still life painting,  known as memento mori. Latin for remember  you must die, this style tended to include only those objects that remind us of death and refrained from using the materialistic symbols. A Religious Reminder Vanitas paintings were  meant not only as works of art, they also to carry an important moral message. They are designed to remind us that the trivial pleasures of life are abruptly and permanently  wiped out by death.   It is doubtful that this genre would have been popular had the Counter-Reformation and Calvinism not propelled it into the limelight. Both movements- one Catholic, the other Protestant- occurred at the same time as vanitas paintings were becoming popular. Like the symbolic art, the two religious efforts emphasized the devaluing of possessions and success in this world. They instead, focused believers on their relationship with God in preparation for the afterlife. The Vanitas Painters The primary period of vanitas paintings lasted from 1550 through around 1650. They began as still lifes painted on the backside of portraits and evolved into featured works of art. The movement was centered around the Dutch city of Leiden, a Protestant stronghold, though it was popular throughout the Netherlands and in parts of France and Spain. In the beginning of the movement, the work was very dark and gloomy. Toward the end of the period, however, it did lighten up a bit. Considered a signature genre in Dutch Baroque art, a number of artists were famous for their vanitas work. These include Dutch painters like David Bailly (1584–1657), Harmen van Steenwyck (1612–1656), and Willem Claesz Heda (1594–1681). Some French painters worked in vanitas as well, the best-known of which was Jean Chardin (1699–1779). Many of these vanitas paintings are considered great works of art today. You can also find a number of modern artists working in this style. Yet, many people wonder at the popularity of vanitas paintings by collectors. After all, doesnt the painting itself become a symbol of vanitas?

What do you feel is a major challenge facing nursing today Essay

What do you feel is a major challenge facing nursing today - Essay Example The current situations as it is has seen nurses being stretched thin, with very unworkable shift programs rendering them largely unable to meet the needs and demands of their patients, even as they themselves would wish to and are capable of. In addition, the current overcrowding of the Emergency Departments as a result of blood tests and other diagnostic procedures continue to slow patient flow and retards performance and availability of nurses. This development above is aggravated further with the recent trend in nursing, where advanced degrees are no longer optional. Nurses are now forced to pursue master’s degree which only eventually scares away potentially great workforce, and thereby consequently reducing number of nurses and exacerbating short staffing in medical centers. Competition for human resources by other less strenuous and well-paying courses has also seen to a shift in interests from this field, over time (Zhan, 70-80). The challenge of meeting patient expectation however does not solely lie with the mechanisms surrounding nursing and the circumstances that continue to impact it. Instead, it is also a result of patient factors and diversity issues. This is not to imply that nurses are allowed to be negligent and incompetent but on the contrary argues that even the best efforts by nurses can go amazingly unnoticed and unappreciated by patients whose demands are â€Å"out of this world†. Patients may also have issues they may take out on the nurses particularly during their hospital visits. Nurses may therefore feel fatigued as a result, and in the process even the best and dedicated nurses are left reeling and battered in thoughts of inadequacy, unprofessionalism and low self-esteem. This can produce a negative effect on general performance and injure good relations of nurses toward their patients (Zhan, 83-85). Some of the few solutions that can be implemented to correct this problem are: to embark on a rampant promotion of

Strategic Inconsistencies and America's Democratic Process Essay

Strategic Inconsistencies and America's Democratic Process - Essay Example The executive branch and the military expanding the war into Cambodia with neither the knowledge nor the support of Congress was a clear violation of the democratic process.i Earlier, and in a similar fashion, the entire program to develop the atomic bomb and the decision to use them on two Japanese cities in August 1945 was undertaken in strict secrecy. The secrecy of the program was essential to national security and the decision to use it certainly shortened the war and probably saved the lives of thousands of US combat troops. However, undertaking the development and use of atomic weapons in strict secrecy can hardly be seen as a model of democracy in action. The removal of the Japanese from the Pacific coast during World War Two and their concentration in internment camps was a clear violation of both their human and civil rights. It may well have been necessary, although that is certainly debatable, but, again, it is hardly a model of democracy in action.ii During wartime the United States has clearly abandoned democratic principles in favor of military strategy and efficacy. That said, it would be fair to say that virtually every democracy has made the decision when confronted with the question of military strategy versus democratic ideals in the time of war. Since at least the Civil War there has been a hangover from wartime strategy that has infected the democratic process in the aftermath of war. During Reconstruction, Federal troops were placed on the streets in southern cities to enforce law and order. This egregious violation of the Constitution, once recognized, was deemed so offensive that it led to posse comitatus legislation in 1878. The law states, â€Å"Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws.

Aristotle and Virtue Essay Example for Free

Aristotle and Virtue Essay Aristotle believes that we need virtue, both of thought and of character, to achieve that completeness leading to happiness. This is the function: activity in the soul in accord with virtue, where soul is defined as what is in us that carries out our characteristic activity. Aristotle is right in believing we need virtue. The end of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics Book I introduces the idea that since happiness is â€Å"a certain sort of activity of the soul in accord with complete virtue, we must examine virtue,† because doing so will allow us to closer analyze and understand how to study happiness. He goes on to identify two areas: virtues of thought and virtues of character. I believe the philosopher is right when he thinks that a good life requires harnessing both kinds of virtues. Virtues of thought are simpler to identify, as they include excellence in problem solving skills, abstract and rational thought, mathematics and the like. Virtues of character, which are also called ‘moral virtues’, seem to be more complex and are also an integral part of the completeness that Aristotle said was necessary for a good life. Some examples of these virtues are generosity and patience. Virtues of character are definitely good for the possessor as Aristotle states in chapter 6, â€Å"having these feelings at the right times, about the right things, toward the right people, for the right end, and in the right way, is the intermediate and best condition, and this is the proper virtue. † Finding that mean or middle ground, that balance or yin and yang, is essential to establishing a completeness which ultimately lead to happiness. One problem may be actually the path to virtue. The idea of pleasure without pain is not realistic in the mortal world. Everything on this plane is relative. Take, for example, two dogs: Dog A lives on the street and has all of his life. He has to find himself food everyday in alleys and has to deal with the weather. This life is good to him because it is his world and he does not know any better. As far as Dog A is concerned, he is in ‘heaven’. Dog B lives in a mansion with air conditioning and gourmet steaks that are given to him on a regular basis. This is all Dog B knows and he is not aware of anything else out there better than this (even though it surely exists), so this dog is in heaven also. Imagine their own individual and relative differences if they were to switch places. Dog A would go to a mansion atmosphere and the comfort of his life would dramatically improve, while Dog B’s life would be hell all of a sudden. This relation of pleasure to pain and how it is all relative makes one take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Nelson, W. Philosophy 1305 Proteus Classics Readings. Thomson Custom Publishing, Mason. pgs 81-122.

Hostile Takeovers :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Hostile Takeovers A hostile takeover is defined as an acquisition of a firm despite resistance by the target firm’s management and board of directors. This occurs when a stronger business absorbs another company against the target company’s will. Hostile takeovers are most likely to occur when a firm’s stock is undervalued relative to its potential because of poor management. Generally, the managers of the targeted firm are fired. This gives managers a strong incentive to take actions designed to maximize stock prices. How do hostile takeovers impact business, government, and society? Businesses, especially the targeted company, are greatly affected by hostile takeovers. Prior to takeovers, targeted companies are chastised by customers, competitors, and the communities in which they reside because of inadequate management, low or undervalued stock prices, etc. These takeovers are most likely to occur when a firm’s stock is undervalued relative to its potential because of poor leadership of the management team. Because of this, the managers of the targeted firm are generally fired after the merger is complete. The government has been heavily involved with hostile takeovers, as well as horizontal and vertical mergers. The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was presumably the first real act of government interference regarding takeovers. This act stated the following: ïÆ'Ëœ Section 1: Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint or trade commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, is hereby declared to be illegal. ïÆ'Ëœ Section 2: Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce†¦shall be deemed guilty of a felony†¦ The antitrust laws that have followed the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 are as follows: ïÆ'Ëœ Clayton Act of 1914 ïÆ'Ëœ Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 ïÆ'Ëœ Robinson-Patman Act of 1936 ïÆ'Ëœ Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act of 1976 Hostile takeovers can also affect society. People in communities often become mixed up in merger battles when a target firm is a major employer that provides a town’s economic livelihood. If the takeover of a major employer occurs, this could lead to very high unemployment, local business privation, etc. If you think that Kohlbert, Kravis and Roberts spent some cash acquiring RJR Nabisco - $24 Billion – think again.

Consumer Behavior on Furniture

As the economic conditions Is tough and challenging In recent years. Cost of living Is increasing, especially for those new home starters, Like new couples, families with new-born member, or moving out of parents home. For the general new home starter, money terms and financial issue is a big concern on their everyday life. The need and purchase of furniture would be an inevitable process as they need to start building up and furnishing their new home. They would opt for products that offer the benefits of good living standard, but without sacrifice too much of their earning or income.In the situation and target group we focus on in this analysis, KEA and Preterit would be more likely be the choice to be made In the final decision. Purchasing off-the-shelf product, rather then tailor-made, good customer value and affordable price are a few major criteria In such case. However consumers would have different consideration for their decision depending on their Individual factors. From h aving the wants and demand to the step of making purchase decision and consumption. There are deferent factors that would influence and affect the consumer decision.There are two sources that influence buying behavior. The first one is formal sources which are kind of well-planned and paid sources. The second source is informal, which is kind of a not pre planned and non-paid sources like family, informal sources, social class and culture etc. Marketing Efforts Product KEA offer product with Scandinavian design and attractive appearance, KEA provide materials to suit the many different needs and precise preference. The large catalogue of choice in products maximize the chance of finding products to your needs.Preterit offer very generic type of product that perform the basic practical and functions. Preterit have few numbers of choices in each category, if you have some very specific preference, it might be hard to match your exact want and desire. Promotion Both KEA and Preterit ha ve utilized web page, social media and also sales promotion to attract customers. KEA have a strong buzz each year, promote using television advertisement, often using humor that create buzz and recall rate. Preterit focusing on adverting in newspapers, and leaflet with coupons.Also PIP memberships as a loyalty programmer that encourage repeat purchase. Price Both KEA and Preterit has set affordable price for their product that attract many customer and purchase. Also note that since the products KEA offer are unique and with brand, customer are more Justified if they are paying a bit more. However Products that Preterit offer are more generic and very uniform, customer might switch to other brand with similar product offered by a lower price supplier, so that Preterit have to compete with price or otherwise provide products with better perceived value and customer benefits.Place Preterit which has almost 30 retails covered in Hong Kong, when compared to KEA which has only 3 stores in Hong Kong but a larger comprehensive stores. The slightly remote distance and limited distribution channel might be a bit pull back if you are a busy person or if you only want to make small quantity purchases. But if the customer would like to buy a range of product or simply enjoy the shopping experience of ‘KEA. This desire will become a driving force strong enough to stimulate the action of visit and purchase. Family Family is a basic concept in society.The main structure of family is married couple, nuclear family and extended family. Besides, single-parent family and unmarried family are included as well. Consumer can be easily influenced by parents, siblings, and relatives based on their past experience. Nuclear family and extended family may prefer to buy from Preterit. The perception from Preterit is classic design, fair quality, and ready-made model. KEA provide Scandinavian design with good quality and flexible combination as well as wide range of color for selec tion which reinforce the motivation of married couple to buy from them.Informal sources Informal sources are basically unpaid and unplanned. The opinion leader could be our friends, neighbors, colleagues, teachers, and idols. Nowadays, it is quite common to ask opinion leader about the brand and product before consumer make the decision of purchase. Preterit and ‘KEA, he will ask opinion leaders and the comments from opinion leaders will influence consumer's behavior. Other non-commercial sources Other non-commercial sources including different types of social media and editorial content are unpaid.Consumer can compare Preterit and KEA products by browsing following sources Editorial content from newspapers, magazines Blob, Forum Photo sharing websites Brand community Discount and promotion websites TV Programs Social class Social class has its own characteristic of values, attitudes and behavior that distinguish the member of various social classes, see below diagram In terms of income, lower middle class consumers only can afford lower price products from Preterit because of limited budget.Middle class consumers have sufficient money to spend on KEA products which can reinforce their self-image and taste. Culture and Subculture Culture is shared, learned, symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes that form and influences perception and behavior. It is learned through transmitted from enervation to generation, which included Formal learning from parents and siblings Informal learning, such as teachers and idols Technical learning, such as school and professional institute Product preference and brand loyalty always influence from one generation to another.For example, parents will bring along their kids to KEA for shopping because they enjoy shopping in KEA with different products for selection and even kids can select kids' furniture for themselves. The positive brand image begins in early childhood and extends throughout a person's entire life. On the other hand, subculture is a group of people share similar beliefs, values, and common experiences. Subculture group can be differentiated by age, ethnic, religious Consumer Decision Making In decision making process, more than one alternative must be available, even decide not to buy.We focus on new couples how they make buying decision on -bed. Input As we discussed previous in external influence, furniture company's marketing strategy (APS) influence new couple's perception, attitudes and teach them to learn or change their attitudes towards their products. These marketing strategies can hang society's existing code of behavior, culture or subculture is likely to affect how and what consumers purchase in long term if successful. Need Recognition When new couple move out from their parents, even rent or buy a new house, they perceive a need to buy new furniture.Two different problem recognition styles – actual state types & desired state types are described on our ca se. Actual state types, they recognize double size bed is needed. Desired state types, they already have double size bed but desire new design attractive bed, e. G. Princess bed. Purchases Search New couple usually search their memory first, browsing internet, go to shopping and they may engage in extensive search of outside if no experience. Evaluation of Alternatives Evoke set come to their mind such as ‘KEA, Preterit and so on.These evoke set might be influenced by their parents that used before and acceptable. They have already established the basic criteria for evaluation, but not completely established preferred among the choice of brands, than they search for additional brand information. Three specific level of consumer decision making – limited problem solving are examined. When new couple evaluating those brands, they based on their perceived quality of Perceived risk associated with the brand, e. G.Consumer may not handle self- assembly furniture by themselve s after evaluation, and also information costs saved with that brand, e. G. KEA only 3 stores, time consuming to visit and too far away from their home. While the couples collecting information about evoked set brands, two decision rules in their mind – compensatory and uncompensated decision rules. Compensatory decision rules, they evaluate those brand's similar attributes and weighted it, than make a ranking. For example, the size of bed of KEA and Preterit are also fit for their home, they Just weight the price between brands.Uncompensated decision rules when couples evaluate such size of bed exceed, they will forgive that brand. They may make decision to postpone or withdrawal from purchasing after shopping if they cannot find a suitable bed. Psychological Field Motivation As we know that consumer needs is the essence of marketing concept. However each consumer have their vary needs and wants depending on the culture environment and affection. Therefore individual are tri ggered by motivation that drive their individual action.Apart from the primary perspective of having the physical product and its function of furniture that serve the generic goals, in addition, there are also acquired needs. Some might want to have a bit more comfort, safety, reliability for the protection of young kids at home. Some might have the affection and would love to have a warm and pleasant interior and environment so that they can provide a coos atmosphere for their friend and relative when visit, to fulfill the social needs The motives and needs can have positive and negative directions that impel positive rives and negative drives.In most situation for the consumer, it is largely driven by positive motives, for examples, KEA has always inject and project the warm and happy home environment and scene in their promotional materials such as catalogue and advertisement which create a positive desire for consumer to dream of and the need and want of having the pleasant home using the KEA furniture product. Associate the warm and pleasant image with the brand ‘KEA. Motivation can have the bi-direction of positive and negative, it can also be distinguish into rational motives and emotional motives.There are certain types of consumers who would be apparently acting with viewing the amount of benefit they can get from the product related to the cost spent. On the other hand, there are certain type of consumer who would act with emotional motives and subjective ideas. The motives can be aroused by the mood of the showroom or the fashion and trend on design style, color and material used. Perception Perception is more about the subjective of how people think about it rather than the actual objective fact of what it is.The dynamic of perception consists of the aspect of â€Å"Selection† â€Å"Organization† and Interpretation† altogether composes a meaningful coherent picture from individual. Perception can be developed and influence d by advertising and promotion as well as other marketing mix that intended for the positioning. For instance, each year KEA has a new shooting of â€Å"low-price† featured ad shown on television. Using the televisions advertisement media has the advantage of reaching the mass, but catching the audience attention in the clutter is a challenge.Kea has use many witty ideas and humor to catch attention and convey the message of â€Å"low- price†, the use of dramatic visual and theme, exaggerated facial expression, music, mound and motion with the contrast color, figure and ground, bold size fonts, helps to catch attention in order to promote the message. The same applied on the Kea catalogue and in-store poster, using sharp, bright color and big bold fonts on the minimal background, simply spell out the message in a clear way and to catch attention in a glance.Also, the imagery used in the catalogue are in pleasant color and soft tone, some images will also include models / actors of kids playing happily or family and friends lying back comfortable on couch, creating a warm and sweet feeling and lead to the nonuser to grouping and associate Kea brand and product with sweet and comfortable home in a positive way. TV ad that last for only seconds is very limited, message have to be brief and sharp, it is smart to leave a open-ended closure that the catalogue is out now, to let the consumer to response and find out more from the catalogue by mail, in-store or online.Personality Personality defined as the inner psychological characteristic determine and reflect Consumer who choose KEA need to adopt this new idea and practice that they need to get very involved when purchase KEA product. Consumer who has high consumer innovativeness and low in dogmatism are more likely to accept ‘KEA. Many of the KEA products allow consumer customized and DID to suit their personal need, letting consumer to have some involvement. So to some extended consumer who ch oose KEA has the need for uniqueness, and willing to have some involvement with the high optimum stimulate level.KEA furniture emphasized on design and attracted too many customers who with style conscious, featured many pictorial, nicely photographed visual images on catalogue and other promotional materials. These will be appealing to visualizes type f consumer which should be appropriate for the intended target customer as they position their product / furniture tends to be more like a stylish product than a technical product. Attitude A learned predisposition always influences their attitudes toward or avoids the object.Transcription attitude model consists of cognitive, affective and connotative components, consumers perceive and learn about company's products such as a stylish and self-assembly of Kike's products, price competitive and assembled products of Preterit's products, consumers evaluate those particular products & services attributes, form a preference and intent to buy. KEA has provided customized, DID, Nordic stylish & self-assembly products, and Preterit provided a localized design, assembled products. Those specific brand's product features is influence consumer attitude, both perform attitude-toward-object model.For examples, KEA illustrate FAX wardrobe's features, consumers can customize their individual need with huge range accessories to create their dreams wardrobes. Muff can be based on space, budget, amount of clothing and home-style to create an ideal wardrobe† consumers evaluate the wardrobes functions, what and how it can provide and belief the wardrobes can satisfy their need. Attitudes are also influence by company's marketing strategy, a societal marketing strategy of KEA ‘people & plant' which influence consumer's attitudes towards their brand, attitude-toward-the-ad model is examined.TV ads, Backbone, APS provide an important source to influence consumer's personal experiences, family and friends. These marketing strategies can change consumer's attitudes due a brands is in conflict with consumer attitude. For aforesaid example, an environmentally-oriented ‘People & Planet Positive' strategy, their attitude may change toward to ‘KEA, Resolving woo conflicting attitudes is examined. Advertisements with product specification, real life scenario presented in catalogues which changing the basic motivational function in KEA catalogs.Learning Advertising promotional videos, price & store displays are cues of ‘KEA, Preterit to stimuli consumer's motives directly, consumers responded to surfing their websites they looking for or go to the shops to look around displayed furniture & price. If consumer is rewarded, they learned to associate the purchase with a pleasant feeling and are likely to repeat the learned behavior and become a loyal customer. For instant, KEA store displayed in real life scenario which may serve as a cue for consumers, and constitute their response that they c onsider ready to buy.Reinforcement increases the likelihood that specific response will occur in the future as the result of particular cues. ‘KEA, Preterit are well-know and favorable brand, according to classical conditioning theory, ‘KEA, Preterit are an unconditioned stimulus, the unconditional response is consumer perception, KEA implies that the products are stylish, Preterit implies that the products are practice and popular, conditioned response would be consumer ring their furniture because of the belief that they embody which their name is associated.Instrumental conditioning is examine while consumer learn, for example, stores carry the wardrobes they prefer at prices they can afford to pay by shopping a number of stores (KEA, Preterit, DISC, etc. ), one they find KEA wardrobe meets their needs, they are likely to make decision to buy. While consumer is satisfied, they are more likely to repeat buying furniture at ‘KEA, KEA store loyalty is reinforced. T o reinforce the behavior, KEA perform a positive reinforcement by repeating ‘design better home & low price' messages.By assuring customer satisfaction with their products, the service & buying experience. For examples, KEA business provides home design service a close personalized relationship with customers is also another form of nonproductive reinforcement. A systematic reinforcement encourage customer to repeat purchase, consumer receive their cash coupons after they brought a certain amount. Output When couple find a brand product such as KEA wardrobe fit their need, they decide to purchase. After they used, they evaluate the wardrobe's performance, a postprocessor evaluation is perform. A positive discrimination is when the

Human history Essay

Human history has witnessed numerous examples of wars. Our history has taught us that wars are unique by nature. Different philosophers at different times were trying to generate solid philosophical understandings of what war and strategy were. As a result, we possess sufficient theoretical basis for discussing the philosophical foundations of war, yet we have not been able to predict our military failures. After the end of WWII the world has finally taken a deep breath, and people were confident that violence would never enter their lives again. However, we are still surrounded by constant risks of war, and continue witnessing the acts of violence, and murders. Certainly, contemporary wars are completely different from those at the beginning of the 20th century: the development of the new weaponry types and communication technologies, have turned the simplest military actions into highly sophisticated acts. The war in Iraq has critically impacted the military balance in the world, and it is interesting to see, how Iraqi war would be explained through the prism of various philosophic works. Clausewitz: On War Carl von Clausewitz has written a well grounded research on the philosophy of war. His theoretical assumptions make it possible to distinguish philosophic implications of military actions. Having evaluated what war is, Clausewitz was able to create a general structure of war, and I think that his ideas are easily applied to the issues of the war in Iraq. â€Å"War is nothing but a duel on an extreme scale. If we would conceive as a unit the countless number of duels which make up a war, we shall do so best by supposing to ourselves two wrestlers. Each strives by physical force to compel the other to submit his will to his will: each endeavours to throw his adversary, and thus render him incapable of further resistance† (Clausewitz 1989, p. 4). Although, this Clausewitz’ definition is very objective, grounded, and universally applicable (any war implies the fight of several opponents for power), there are some amendments which should be made in terms of war in Iraq. It is difficult to admit, but it is true, that the war in Iraq is nothing more than the fight for power: Clausewitz does not distinguish whether this might be economic, social, or military power, or some other different aspect of political superiority. Clausewitz risks applying limited perspectives to discussing what war is. In the fight between the two wrestlers, only one of them initially seeks superiority. As a result, at the initial stage of war, only one of the opponents fights for power and superiority. Clausewitz supports this line stating that â€Å"two motives lead men to war: instinctive hostility and hostile intention. In our definition of war, we have chosen as its characteristic the latter of these elements, because it is the most general†. Has the U. S. started the war in Iraq with hostile intentions? Probably, it has. Many of us argue the fact that the U. S. military actions in Iraq were primarily aimed at promoting democracy in the country. To be objective, hardly any democracy can survive in the whirl of blood, murders, terrorist acts and violence caused by military actions. However, in the fight between Iraq and the U. S. Clausewitz seems to have neglected one essential stage of developing military actions: the first stage is the military intervention, and it hardly looks as the fight of the two wrestlers. On the contrary, its image is similar to unexpected blow on the side of the opponent to which another wrestler cannot stand and falls. The situation described by Clausewitz is actually the next stage of war. Iraq required certain period of time to gather it strength and to enter the war as an equal. At the stage when we started to receive the reports on murders and terrorist acts against American soldiers, one could suggest that the war has turned into the discussed fight. However, in this fight one of the opponents was trying to prove his superiority, while the other tried his best to defend the integrity of his physical territory and peace in the country. We cannot but agree with Clausewitz that war is never an isolated act, and it is never a separated single military blow. â€Å"War does not spring up suddenly, it does not spread to the full in a moment; each of the two opponents can, therefore, form an opinion of the other, in a great measure, from what he is and what he does, instead of judging of him according to what he, strictly speaking, should be or should do† (Clausewitz 1989, 5) The war in Iraq had long prehistory. The United States were continuously trying to defend their position in this military conflict. It was evident that the war was inevitable. As a result it is difficult to argue the position of Clausewitz. Actually, the work of Clausewitz seems to be very close to what we currently witness in Iraq. Of course, we do not know much as none of us has fortunately participated in this campaign. All we have at our disposal are news reports and other secondary information, but this secondary information allows analyzing the events in Iraq from the viewpoints of several philosophers. Clausewitz creates a philosophic picture of war. He implies that war does not change its face, and the structure of military actions and interactions remains unchanged, no matter at what historical period of our development a war may occur. This does not really matter, whether we use nuclear weapons or fight in the open sea – the war is always the utmost use of force, which does not break out of sudden, and which is the means of proving one’s superiority. Jablonski: Roots of Strategy In his work, David Jablonski has evaluated the works of the four theorists, as applied to military actions and military strategies. It is surprising, that Jablonski was able to avoid bias in his discussion. It is even more surprising, that the works of philosophers written at the beginning of the 20th century seem to have predicted the exact course of events during the war in Iraq. This, on the one hand, continues the line found in the work of Clausewitz: the essence of military actions remains unchanged through the centuries. On the other hand, Jablonski’s selection helps us understand WHY the U. S. was involved into the war in Iraq, and has actually initiated it. â€Å"In the United States our people have been slow to realize the changed conditions. Isolated as we have been from possible enemies, the people could see little chance for aggression by others. Separated as we are from Europe by the Atlantic, and from Asia by the Pacific which form most certain and tremendously strong defensive barriers, we seemed to be protected by the design of the Almighty. [†¦] The vulnerability of the whole country to aircraft as distinguished from the old conditions that obtained when the frontiers or the coast had to be penetrated before an invasion of the country could be made, has greatly interested the people of the nation† (Jablonski 1999, 452) What facts do we have in the war against Iraq? First, the U. S. has for long been isolated from others’ aggression. Even during WWII the U. S. was not directly involved into military actions. The terrorist acts of 2001 have been a tremendous shocking therapy to the whole American nation. The continuous isolation from the direct aggression has made the U. S. senseless towards possible military and terrorist threats. The image of the almighty nation was rather exaggerated, and the events of 9/11 have proved this assumption. The terrorist attacks had to attract the attention of the U. S. to its vulnerability and to eliminate the discussed senselessness, but the country has misinterpreted these events. The senselessness has turned into aggression against the states which were suspected in promoting terrorism (Iraq is in the top list of such ‘promoters’). As far as the United States has not experienced any acts of continuous aggression, which it could not stand, it has not fully realized the continuous effects of military actions brought into Iraqi land. In the introduction to his book, David Jablonski puts emphases on the most critical elements of war. â€Å"Modern military forces normally work in an environment in which the major dilemma is that of properly matching continuity and change. [†¦] the core attribute to such thinking is to imagine the future as it may be when it becomes the past – a thing of complex continuity. † Thus, planning continuity and looking at military actions through the prism of the past is the crucial element in making this strategy reasonable and justified. What are continuous impacts that the U. S. has caused onto the Iraqi population? These are economic defeat, and the need to restore all social and political structures of the country. It is still unclear whether the U. S. was able to promote democratic ideals in Iraq, but it is evident that it has failed to apply the principles of â€Å"continuity through the past† to planning the Iraqi military strategy. Jablonski states that the significance of the theoretical works he discussed in his book is in that they are presented in a structured manner, and can be easily understood and applied in practice. It seems that both the U. S. in its war in Iraq, and the terrorists in their 9/11 attacks have applied the principles discussed by Jablonski: â€Å"sometimes implicitly, more often explicitly, they created images of how aerial destruction of ‘vital centers’, could bring a nation to its knees. After all, there were the examples of mass panic on the home fronts and mutiny in the trenches during the recent war. † Similar to Clausewitz, who creates parallels between military actions and wrestling, Jablonski also underlines the importance of the sudden effect. Consequentially, we come to understanding an interesting military controversy: military campaigns cannot be sudden, but the â€Å"sudden effect† of aerial or other destruction often determines the success of the planned military campaign. These two elements are integral to the U. S. intervention to Iraq, too. Liddell-Hart: Strategy There are the two crucial elements which make Liddell-Hart’s view applicable to the war in Iraq: first, the author extensively researches the historical implications of specific military actions, and second, he does not expand his research to broader notions, but is rather concentrated on the ‘cause-effect’ research. His book is in many instances similar to that of Clausewitz. This is why the author is initially biased. In both works the reader meets identical philosophical parallels: â€Å"To move along the line of natural expectation consolidates the opponent’s balance and thus increases his resisting power. In war, as in wrestling, the attempt to throw the opponent without loosening his foothold and upsetting the balance results in self-exhaustion, increasing in disproportionate ration to the effective strain upon him. Success by such method only becomes possible through an immense margin of superior strength in some form – and, even so, tends to lose decisiveness. † (Liddell-Hart 1991, 5) In this citation, we find many elements which have already been found in other philosophical works: loosening foothold may be paralleled to the sudden aerial attacks, while moving along the line of natural expectation is similar to complying with the principles of continuity and thorough planning. Simultaneously, it is difficult to apply this statement to the military actions in Iraq. If the U. S. used Liddell-Hart’s philosophical implications in developing its strategy in Iraq, it would never apply the means of sudden attack against the Iraqi nation. People in Iraq would not know what means being bombed. As a result, the U. S. would risk losing its powerful positions. The philosophic perspective created by Liddell-Hart is hardly applicable to the war in Iraq or to any other military campaign in contemporary world. In addition, when Liddell-Hart speaks about morale in war, he represents its too idealistic image: the violence of American soldiers against Iraqi people eliminates any possibility to link morale to the war in Iraq. Niccolo Machiavelli: The Prince â€Å"A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank. † This is another aspect of the war in Iraq, described in the terms of Niccolo Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince†. As Hitler used the war to prove his superiority and to create the nation of Aryans, the U. S. seems to be in constant need to prove its superiority to other nations. Several recent decades have turned into the years of constant fight, in which the U. S. always positioned itself as the leading and powerful nation: Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Yugoslavia, and finally, Iraq; who is going to be the next? Machiavelli makes special emphasis on the importance for the prince to understand and to possess the art of war: â€Å"a prince who does not understand the art of war, over and above other misfortunes already mentioned, cannot be respected by his soldiers, nor can he rely on them. † (Machiavelli, 2006) The best information and intelligence resources have been employed to develop a sound military strategy towards Iraq, yet the U. S. was not able to display a skilful approach towards Iraqi intervention. Numerous deaths of the American soldiers and their inability to find common language with the native population, whom they had to protect, suggest that the United States did not possess any sound military skills. Expectation of easy victory usually leads to easy failure. The war in Iraq has displayed the U. S. inability to analyze the world military history, about which Machiavelli speaks. The author refers to the importance for the prince to study the actions of illustrious men and to see how they behaved themselves during war. Being powerful does not mean being non-educated; being powerful means being skillful, reasonable, and objective. Military failures in Vietnam and Yugoslavia have not taught the U. S. any meaningful lessons. In distinction from Clausewitz, Liddell-Hart, and Jablonski, Machiavelli did not apply any historical perspectives to evaluating military strategies, but he was wise enough to emphasize the importance of historical lessons, and of the ability to properly evaluate these lessons. Peter Paret: Makers of Modern Strategy While Clausewitz applied the painting parallels to researching war, Paret has performed a profound research of several philosophic writings related to the topic of war. All authors he discussed in his book sought to answer several crucial questions: whether it was possible to evaluate war, whether it was a viable tool of foreign policy, and how ethical war was. Paret’s views are directly connected with the understanding of nuclear threats as applied to military strategies. Paret’s book is actually the selection of the major philosophic works and their evaluation. It seems that modern philosophers try to distance themselves from creating their own ideas about war, but prefer analyzing the ideas of others as applied to contemporary political and military environment. In the introduction to his book, Paret writes that â€Å"strategy is the use of armed force to achieve the military objectives and, by extension, the political purpose of the war. To those engaged in the direction and conduct of war, strategy has often appeared more simply, in Moltke’s phrase, as a system of expedients† Thus, war is initially the conjunction of political and military ideas. The war in Iraq is also the combination of political and military aims, but which of them prevails? In his book, Paret often cannot make a case. He states that Machiavelli lived during the time when warfare was unregulated and thus the relevance of his assumptions could decrease. However, who says that our warfare is regulated? Paret suggests that while Clausewitz supported the idea of war to be limited in time, goals, and strategies, there was no place to global military campaigns. Does this mean that local military conflicts similar to those in Iraq cannot expand beyond the geographical borders of the Iraqi nation? They can, and the conflict in Iraq has already stretched itself across the world. The war in Iraq has already turned into the political fight between the two opposing political camps, and the perspective of the global war has never been so close since the end of WWII. This is why it is difficult to understand the aim of Paret’s analysis. For the aims of objective military research, one should rather read the original works of philosophers, than their subjective interpretations made by contemporary authors. Sun Tzu: The Art of War â€Å"Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him. [†¦] If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our encampment be merely traced out on the ground. All we need do is to throw something odd and unaccountable in his way† (Sun Tzu 1971, 24) The ideas of war produced by Sun Tzu, partially seem as odd as the instruments he offers to use if one does not want to fight. On the one hand, being first to the field also implies using ‘sudden’ tactics. On the other hand, what odd instruments could Iraqi people use to openly claim their desire not to start war with the U. S.? One should not repeat its tactics which had been successful earlier, but it should be regulated according to the constantly changing military environments. Moreover, using the tactics which has already proved to be a failure is a guaranteed double failure. The U. S. has not taken into account numerous important elements of an effective military strategy: being sudden does not always mean being successful. Aerial attacks make people fall to their knees, but do not break them completely. The U. S. develops a sound strategy of removing its military from the Iraqi territory. The aim is to turn retreat into a victory, which is virtually impossible. Until the U. S. is able to re-evaluate its defeats and tactics in previous military campaigns, it will have to be prepared to new military failures. Conclusion I think that each of the analyzed philosophers has something to say about the war in Iraq. Each of them discussed interesting elements of military strategy which could be applied to Iraqi military campaigns. Although certain views are limited, some risk being biased, and some cannot make the case at all, all of them deserve attention at least for having researched the question which we will hardly ever answer: What is War? It is never stable, it is always changeable, it always has a different face, and sometimes we even fail to recognize it from the start. One thing is evident: no matter how difficult a war can be, no excuses can justify our inability to fight well. BIBLIOGRAPHY Clausewitz, C. On War. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989. Jablonski, D. Roots of Strategy. Book 4. Merchanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 1999. Liddel-Hart, Basil H. Strategy: Second Revised Edition. New York: Meridian Books, 1991. Machiavelli, N. The Prince. The Project Gutenberg, 2006. Available from http://www. gutenberg. org/files/1232/1232-h/1232-h. htm Paret, P. , G. A. Craig & F. Gilbert. Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986. Sun Tzu. The Art of War. Translated by Samueal B. Griffith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.

Totem Response Essays

Totem Response Essays Totem Response Paper Totem Response Paper Many stories written by Thomas King have a strong sense of sarcasm and satire worked into the story. This is clearly evidenced in Totem where Thomas King subtly pokes fun at the way the Canadian Government treated Aboriginal people. To understand the deeper meaning of the story, the reader must have a basic knowledge of Canadian history. The way the Canadian Government and European settlers treated the Aboriginal people is often viewed as one of the most horrific and unjust acts in Canadian if not the entire worlds history. The story begins with an impatient, Beebe Hill, waiting at the reception desk to file a formal complaint: she thought other people Were too polite to complain about the noises the totem pole in the far corner of the room was making (119). Ms. Hill represents the population of the European settlers moving into the land and finding Aboriginal people living there. Walter, the head of the museum decides to kick for a quick, easy and emperors fix; his plan is to chop the totem pole down with a chainsaw and move it down to the basement. However to the surprise of Walter and his workers, There is a totem pole in the corner, and its grunting. (121 Another totem pole appeared and it was making even more noise. Walter continued with his easy fix of cutting the totem poles down until he did not have any more room in the basement to store them. Thomas King is cleverly sing satire here to point out how ridiculous of a solution, moving Aboriginals to somewhere where we wont run into them truly is. In the end both Walter and the Canadian Government remained mildly annoyed (122) but decided to live with the problem. Kings incorporation of symbolism amongst the characters, each representing their own piece of Canadian history, allows the satire to reveal just how absurd the Canadian Governments treatment of the Aboriginals truly was.

Alice Freeman Palmer and Higher Education for Women

Alice Freeman Palmer and Higher Education for Women Known for: president of Wellesley College, noted essay on why women should attend college. Dates: February 21, 1855 - December 6, 1902 Also known as: Alice Elvira Freeman, Alice Freeman Alice Freeman Parker was known not only for her innovative and dedicated work for higher education in her capacity as president of Wellesley College, but for her advocacy of a position somewhere between women being educated to be the equals of men, and women being educated primarily for traditional womens roles.   She firmly believed that women need to be of service to humanity, and that education furthered their ability to do so.   She also recognized that women would be unlikely to do so in traditional male occupations, but could work not only in the home to educate another generation, but in social service work, teaching, and other occupations that played a role in creating a new future. Her speech on Why Go to College? was addressed to young girls and their parents, giving them reasons for girls to be educated.   She also wrote poetry. Excerpt from Why Go to College?: Our American girls themselves are becoming aware that they need the stimulus, the discipline, the knowledge, the interests of the college in addition to the school, if they are to prepare themselves for the most serviceable lives.But there are still parents who say, â€Å"There is no need that my daughter should teach; then why should she go to college?† I will not reply that college training is a life insurance for a girl, a pledge that she possesses the disciplined ability to earn a living for herself and others in case of need, for I prefer to insist on the importance of giving every girl, no matter what her present circumstances, a special training in some one thing by which she can render society service, not amateur but of an expert sort, and service too for which it will be willing to pay a price.   Background Born Alice Elvira Freeman, she grew up in small town New York.   Her fathers family came from early New York settlers, and her mothers father had served with General Washington. James Warren Freeman,   her father, took on medical school, learning to be a physician when Alice was seven, and Elizabeth Higley Freeman, Alices mother, supported the family while he studied. Alice started school at four, having learned to read at three. She was a star student, and was admitted to Windsor Academy, a school for boys and girls. She became engaged to a teacher at the school when she was only fourteen. When he left to study at Yale Divinity School, she decided that she, too, wanted an education, and so she broke the engagement so that she could enter college. She was admitted to the University of Michigan on trial, though she had failed the entrance exams. She combined work and school for seven years to gain her B.A. She took a position teaching in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, after she completed her degree. She had only been out of school a year when Wellesley first invited her to become a math instructor, and she declined. She moved to Saginaw, Michigan, and became a teacher and then the principal of a high school there. Wellesley invited her again, this time to teach Greek. But with her father losing his fortune, and her sister ill, she chose to remain in Saginaw and help support her family. In 1879, Wellesley invited her a third time. This time, they offered her a position at the head of the history department. She began her work there in 1879. She became vice president of the college and acting president in 1881, and in 1882 became president. In her six years as president at Wellesley, she significantly strengthened its academic position. She also helped found the organization that later became the American Association of University Women, and served several terms as president. She was in that office when the AAUW issued a report in 1885 debunking misinformation about the ill effects of education on women. In late 1887, Alice Freeman married George Herbert Palmer, a philosophy professor at Harvard. She resigned as president of Wellesley, but joined the board of trustees, where she continued to support the college until her death. She was suffering from tuberculosis, and her resignation as president allowed her to spend some time recovering. She then took up a career in public speaking, often addressing the importance of higher education for women. She became a member of the Massachusetts State Board of Education and worked for legislation that promoted education. In 18912, she served as a manager for the Massachusetts exhibit at the Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago. From 1892 to 1895, she took a position with the University of Chicago as dean of women, as the university expanded the female student body. President William Rainey Harper, who wanted her in this position because of her reputation which he believed would draw women students, permitted her to take the position and be in residence for only twelve weeks each year. She was permitted to appoint her own subdean to take care of immediate matters. When women had established themselves more firmly among the students at the University, Palmer resigned so that someone who could serve more actively could be appointed. Back in Massachusetts, she worked to bring Radcliffe College into formal association with Harvard University. She served in many voluntary roles in higher education. In 1902, while in Paris with her husband on a vacation, she had an operation for an intestinal condition, and died afterwards of heart failure, only 47 years old.

Critically Assess and evaluate total reward packages as a contributory Essay

Critically Assess and evaluate total reward packages as a contributory factor in employee retention A case study based on Marks & Spencers(the orderno - Essay Example This research focuses on a particular case study within Marks and Spencer, a major UK superstore to understand the impact of rewards, incentives and performance appraisal on employee motivation and performance. Marks and Spencer is a leading name in retailing within the UK. The company maintains that the rewards package given to its employees is flexible, competitive, focused on superior results and is aimed to support personal choices of personal lifestyles. The elements of the reward packages of the company include fixed and competitive pay rates, variable performance related pay and a wide range of other benefits (marksandspencer.com, 2006). In this study we prepare a detailed questionnaire to understand the impact of these benefits, payment and reward systems on employees and we also determine whether these rewards actually help in improving motivation and how this would relate to improved company performance. Marks and Spencer has boasted of 73% employee retention over 2004-2005 and retention may be considered as an important indicator of employee satisfaction and motivation (MarksandSpencer.com, 2006). Questionnaires are distributed to employees of Marks and Spencer to determine whether rewards systems given to them have a positive impact on their motivation and performance levels and aid them in heir decision to work for one company for a long period of time. The participants are employees of Marks and Spencer working in customer service divisions and 100 completed questionnaires are obtained and the data compiled are analysed for employee motivation and satisfaction levels that provide an indication of the employee retention level within a company. Marks and Spencer claims a high percentage of employee retention. The questionnaires are aimed to determine employee expectations, rewards given, job satisfaction, employee motivation, years of service and performance levels. Literature Review Companies use different means of rewarding employees and Brody et al (2001) discuss merit pay plans used by companies to motivate and reward employees. The theory of motivation would highlight that rewards and reinforcement for individual accomplishments should produce positive results although there may also be negative outcomes (Brody et al, 2001). Brody et al suggest in their study that when individuals are involved in hiring and merit allocation for employees, their prior commitments have significant effects on rewards allocated to the employees. This shows that a manager's personal involvement with employees can lead to increased merit allocation and rewards. This study highlights the factors that determine merit allocation and rewards which may not be completely dependent on employee performance and also large depends on interpersonal relationships within the workplace. Rewards could be largely based on performance ratings and it would be important to understand how employees perceive these ratings of their performance. Smith and Rupp (2004) state that a major purpose of having performance appraisals of employees is to determine individual merit which in turn help in determining whether merit pay or benefits would be given to